"He was definitely dating the guy, and he started working for him as a landscaper," said Nash, who says he later found out the relationship was non-monogamous.

Navaratnam was last seen leaving a nightclub in September, 2010. Police later announced they were investigating his disappearance alongside two other similar cases of gay men who went missing between 2010 and 2012. Police dubbed that investigation Project Houston.

All three men went missing between 2010 and 2012, prompting the creation of Project Houston. From left: Abdulbasir Faizi, Majeed Kayhan, and Skandaraj Navaratnam. (Toronto Police)

Police announced last Thursday that Project Prism, the taskforce created to investigate the disappearances of Esen and Kinsman, has been sharing information with Project Houston.

McArthur has not been charged in connection with Navaratnam's disappearance.

Pair still involved in 2008, says friend

Another friend of Navaratnam's, Jean-Guy Cloutier, said he wasn't aware of a relationship with McArthur, but did confirm to CBC Toronto that the two knew each other.

"Skanda introduced me back in 2008 or 2009 to Mr. McArthur as somebody he knew," he said.

Cloutier, who became close with Navaratnam around 2007, says he was unsurprised to learn that his friend had been involved with McArthur.

"His type of person that he liked was usually older men. With the white hair and goatee," he said.

A frequent visitor to Toronto's Gay Village, 66-year-old Bruce McArthur is charged in the killing of two men. (Bruce McArthur/Facebook)

Nash, who described Navaratnam as "devoted" and "very fun," also said that he was generally attracted to older men.

He remembers meeting McArthur, describing him as "a jolly-looking man, pleasant, courteous" but said he "seemed straight laced."

The two friends eventually drifted apart, but Nash says he bumped into Navaratnam one last time at a nightclub in 2008.

"We hugged, I talked to him about everything," he remembered. "He was still doing the landscaping, was still dating or was still with Bruce at the time, and that's where we ended the conversation."

McArthur and Navaratnam were listed as friends on Facebook before McArthur's profile was pulled down.

Brother says news is 'devastating'

News of McArthur's arrest has left Navaratnam's friends and family in shock.

Navaseelan Navaratnam, Skanda's brother, told CBC Toronto via a Facebook message that his family has been searching for answers since the day he disappeared:

"We have been waiting for an answer for 7 years and now there is this news which is devastating to our family," he said of McArthur's arrest.

Forensic investigators in coveralls could be seen searching the garage of a home on Mallory Crescent on Saturday in connection with the investigation into Bruce McArthur. (CBC)

Meanwhile, the memory of his brother remains, he says.

"He was a very fun loving person and always with a smile and we miss him dearly."

Rosaire Levesque, another friend of Navaratnam's, says he saw Navaratnam at a Starbucks the day before he went missing. "He was all excited because he had a dog. You know, things were looking up for him."

After McArthur was arrested, Levesque went on, "the first thing I thought of was Skanda."